SXSW 2013: Clive Davis

The music mogul talks about career, challenges and coming out

By Madeline Hollern

The cover of Clive Davis' new autobiography

Photo courtesy Simon & Schuster

Clive Davis has always been, and continues to be, a star maker. The record producer, music executive and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member helped launch the careers of Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow, Aerosmith, Whitney Houston and countless other musicians. During a SXSW Music panel on Thursday, the vivacious 80-year-old living legend sat down with Billboard's Bill Werde to discuss his career, his new autobiography The Soundtrack of My Life, his personal life (he acknowledges his bisexuality in the book) and bouncing back from hard times.

Clive Davis needs no introduction, but they gave him one anyway with an introductory video. The Brooklyn-raised, Harvard-educated lawyer got his start on the legal side of Columbia Records in the 1960s and eventually transitioned into the music side. He went on to be president of Columbia Records from 1967 to 1973, and he later founded Arista Records in 1975 and then J Records in 2000. Currently he is the Chief Creative Officer of Sony Music Entertainment. Here are some highlights from the introduction and interview.

On being vocal and honest:

“Experience has taught me to speak up again and again,” Davis says in his video introduction. During the interview, Davis emphasizes the need to strike a balance between honesty and sensitivity with clients. “You have to be sensitive to artists,” he says. But, in the wake of his recent kerfuffle with Kelly Clarkson , he notes, “as a music executive you have to speak the truth.”

On his personal life:

In his new book, Davis talks about his evolving sexuality. “Only after my second marriage failed, when I was 50, I decided to broaden my perspective and see if I could be attracted to the person, not gender,” Davis says, going on to defend the legitimacy of bisexuality. “They say you’re either gay or straight, or you’re lying. But the category of bisexuality does exist.”

On tragic losses:

Over the decades Davis watched drugs start to destroy the lives of many of his clients, most notably Janis Joplin and Whitney Houston. “What they shared in common was an unawareness of the lethal powers of drugs,” he says. Davis recalled being with Houston in the days before her death and called her passing a tragedy that was “painful and shattering.”

On industry advice:

For fellow music executives, Davis says the most important thing is to get a great artist roster. “It doesn’t matter how good you are at marketing or promotions without it,” he says. Also, he encourages them to assemble the smartest, most talented teams available. “I’m a great believer in hiring the strongest,” Davis says. “Many don’t out of fear that these people will surpass them.” Finally, he says in both career and life, you have to expect hard times and not let them derail you. “Nobody’s life is up, up, up,” he says. “Part of life is your resilience.”